Popular Festivals

After Friday comes Saturday, and at Bestival that can mean only one thing: fancy dress. The little community on the Isle of Wight was swarmed with Pop Stars, Rock Stars and Divas which took the form of Lady Gagas, Freddy Mercurys, Village People – even a handful of Pop Tarts. The fancy dress didn’t appear to cross the barrier onto the stage, as all the Replay bands opted for their everyday outfits.

Friday’s gig was a tough night to follow but the first band, The Common Tongues, didn’t seem too phased. Milling about on stage having chats and giggles. After a couple of sideways nods, they fell into line. Earning a place in 2010’s top five “best new acts in Brighton” in The Brighton Music Awards, the band has gone from strength to strength ever since. Now included in 2011’s Bestival line up, The Common Tongues worked their magic, soothing a multitude of hangovers.

The crowd spilled off the hay bales and onto the floor, soaking up the folk and building up the energy to do-se-do. “Everyone needs a partner for this next one. You can do-se-do. You can kick seven shades of s*** outa each other. I don’t care! Actually, I do.” Fortunately, no shades of s*** were kicked by anybody, there was just a whole lot of jigging.

Will and the People were up next. They can tick Glasgonbury and a bath tub in Reading off their long list of gigs played this year. But they won’t stop there. Their relentless determination is plain to see and is paying off. After a quick pep talk and a group hug off stage, the band bounded up into place. Drummer Charlie Harman took a tumble, but was securely behind his drums for the rest of the set. Their mess of bandanas, hats, patchwork and hair seemed apt – it would be hard to trust their blend of reggae/ska/pop coming from suits and boots.

Taking the opportunity to pay tribute to the music they love, Will and the People tipped their collective hat to Bob Marley throwing in a brief ‘Could You Be Loved’ riff into their set. While someone located a stray guitar from the van, the band took the chance to play a little Pixies, covering ‘Where Is My Mind’ which drew in the biggest crowd so far at the Replay tent.

Ice Black Birds have steadily been building up a fan base since they formed back in 2008. Clearly heavily influenced by ‘60s/’70s rock and roll the band wasted no time getting stuck in. Towards the end of their set, singer Sam Denniston launched himself headfirst over the barrier and into the crowd. Once he’d recovered himself, Sam took the chance for a spot of audience participation. Prompting the crowd to shout “Get on back!” to his “On the floor” he resisted the urge and stayed stage-bound for the rest of their gig.

Clearly lovers of the game, Saturday night headliners Asteroids brought their very own Asteroids setup to Replay. Makeshift arcade games in place of keyboard stands dominated the stage during their performance. Mind you, Asteroids have got a lot of keyboard to handle. Their attitude, which was almost subdued, seemed out of place with their funky electro pop. But hey, if it sounds good: dance. And we did.

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Find out more about Replay’s Road Trip To Bestival on ClashMusic.com HERE.